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Obferver OJfice. October 29, 1827. 
 
 K^j fh^ ^iti&au Jnana/, in t^ui uPz-otH/uf, /ta>t oceuAt^ fit a/Zetthim rJ &%TA<ifnttn, ^ 
 Stu /tai'C i> itnffmt h youf atnJidera^ion my i>u>fui on tn« <iu^^f, in in* ex/teiiaiiun tnad you 
 mau « A^a^ttd it> ii-te your- in/^ince, tn oredr i) AuS a fi/'^t to inc ttseuUtan <9 ii u^>ii />m 
 
 *y n'zvt Me fionu,^ to oc, 
 
 J HA" CjtRE\, Editor of Ih* Obtervir. 
 
 R I D J: A U CANAL. 
 
 licmnrk'B of the EDITOR of TUK OBSERVER. 
 
 TSi4 "(r*ii<t iiiJ m^^ntH cat uiidi-ruking" 
 from whirh tU- piibln' w,tl' led to »ntic.pit.- nui'h 
 V»<t*iid ii«|iort*iit tlvkium>-», tut, lliroiiKli tbc 
 Wrret iiiHucnorol'ioai.- igiioriiit or ii>li-r(".lc'il in- 
 div:iiu»U, i'..»inill.><i n'n > ilitch' <)r,l r-* hsvc 
 b> I'll recnwd frn 111 iiiui- lu tat'ie Ihf liK-Ui of 
 til'' tame diiai'n''io II ^^ t'l'ii' >>i lii« I.ipIiiiih <'*- 
 ntl, '. ». 10» f<!.:t lo^iil, :< I f.'ft wid.', »nd live 
 feet deep ! 
 
 The omiiie of tlie«e uneiperted sod impolitic 
 ordem, i» unknown to iii: we f.nr th.- uoinenii- 
 cal jnrijon of Mr. Hume on < miailitii •tfiirit, 
 his l>een paid to mucllattrnliaiit'i liy ininitlir'', 
 thut tlioie ojipo-eJ to tin- «eeurity, liappiiieHi, 
 tnd pronperilv of thi< e«eniive and ferlili- pro- 
 Tiiice, have liad it in their piwer, to ilelVatllie 
 recommeudationof Hii Kicell.iiey Mir I'erexrme 
 Maitland and the lale lamented Commander uf 
 the Korer^. 
 
 It rnuit be within the rerollectioii of our read- 
 era, that Hi» Eicellericy felt more tiian an ordi- 
 nary interest in thia uiidertakiiiK ; that I In an- 
 nounced 10 parliament, lait ses-ioii, "th*! the 
 "ranal wouIq he made oti a <c»le more extended 
 "than lit had renturej to aiw.rt ; auJ that an 
 "offn r of rank and Bcleuee Unci »rriveii lor ine 
 ••purpose of .uperintending ita eKeeuliou." 
 
 •Ihn Inform jtloii was hiijlily graiifyiiin to eve- 
 ry man in the e-inmiuiili) , -u-A upoa itouraan- 
 guine bope'i of seeing a Vanal eommemurale to 
 the wanla and eileut of this feriile country, 
 rented. 
 
 But, how bleak and barren ii the pri'scnt p-o«- 
 pect ? The Lower-Canadian «, in order to en- 
 rich Montreal and aecure a nionoiioly of eom- 
 merce, beneficial to th-'rasclvcH and iiijurioun to 
 the interestii of llpper-Canadi, have nude tlie 
 La<'hine canal fur Uoat navigation— the Direc- 
 tnr» of the Wellaiid emal, in order U) ailvanee 
 the price of their own lands iii the neiglihour- 
 hood of Saint Catherines, extinguished th • hope 
 of aeeing Sleam-vessela ascend from lake OiiU- 
 rio to the Up|H'r lakes ; and to cap the i limax, 
 the Brilinh governiiicnl, milled, no doubt, by 
 ignorant or interested indindiials, is, contrary 
 to the wislien of His Kxcelleney and the whole 
 
 Jrovince, punuing the same inipolitie and pili- 
 ul system. 
 
 When Coloml Br, military engineer, arm- 
 ed here, we did expect, knowing him to lie a 
 gentleman of ti:'„ most eidightenid and lilieral 
 policy, that the RinrAi) cvNU. '.^ould bi' iii.idv' 
 on a scale sulfieieiitly large, iiit only to answer 
 present hut future purpos«:9 ; but this fond ex- 
 pectation, we lament to state, is bla>l-il. 
 
 That this caniil, small as are the dimension* 
 of ita loika and their unfitness for military, na- 
 val, or commercial purpost-s on an cxlens.ve — 
 wale. Will [irove of great advantage to the sec- 
 tion of the country through which it passes, no 
 mm can deny, but, beyond that section, its be- 
 nelils will he Imt little felt. 
 
 Viewing the extent of this canal— the short 
 distance (o cut, fdl miles) to 0|h'ii sleam-n»vi- 
 eation b"tween Larhine, in Ixiwer O^na la, aud 
 Michilimikiiiac in Upper-Canada, (a distance 
 of I ' '0 indes) — atid taking into coiisidenition 
 the coi"ni reial un 1 agrieultural interest of the 
 country, we cjiioot avoid eoi,d"miiing th-; weak, 
 delusive and im|xilitic plan adopted by minis- 
 ters. SureK, if I'n- government and the conn- 
 trv secup' ii.iKP'' iiid dLrive profit Iron a eniiiil 
 fo.-.neil fii r iw-boals, th" security and pro'it a- 
 rising from it, if formed for steam-boat naviga- 
 tion would lie teii-fol'l? 
 
 It is termed amililarv canal. What nonsense ! 
 It Iocs not merit I'le term —nor will it, aeeoniing 
 to our views, a'lswcr the purpose inieiid-'d. If 
 a n litan e.uial he neeesMiry firtlie di feiiee an I 
 priieilion of IJ')|'ii (,'iiiida, let it he niu I ' o'l 
 a ''.lie that will eiia'ile us, 'ii ^ast :if ilisa>ter or 
 'Icfeat, In regain what may be lost — i -t it uolbe 
 
 confined to the tard^ tnuitportaiion of tronpa, 
 arms, ainmiinition, store* iiid provisions; but 
 let the locks be mule on a scije aiifliciently largi' 
 to receive lessels of 1411 fn-t keel and 40 fei t 
 be>uu, and weca'i hudd and equip, at pleisure, 
 st.am-war vessels on any (»rt of the canal, and 
 de.pvtch Ihei.i to fiki' Diitario: and except the 
 lo< lis be made u|ion this enlrrged scale, we ven- 
 turt- to assert, that the canai, in far a* relates to 
 military and niral o|K'ralion«, will be pro- 
 duetivi' cf nothing but disappointment It disaster. 
 It musiheevid.nl toe\ery mau who witness- 
 ed tlie opiratioiis carried on in Up|»'rCi:iada 
 duiuig till' late war, that nullilng but our naval 
 aaeendancy on the lakes, in case of future lio<- 
 tilities, can save this proviace from the grasp of 
 the enemy — an enemy wlm have convinced us 
 that they can, like the natives of tl'.e faat-au- 
 choreil isle, give and take blows. 
 
 From the revolution that has taken, or ist 
 ahortly take place in naval and military ' mra 
 by the application of steam, our tseendancy can 
 only he maintained by it« power — anil moat cer- 
 tain!, U)<on that power inA Its application, the 
 fate of this province will hang. 
 
 .<stip|Hiiie, lor the sake ol argumuui, %!..« «... 
 naval power should he aaniiiilated, would a ca- 
 nal of five feet water, ita Uieks 30 feet wide, en- 
 able us to overcome the disaater ) We tay, No ! 
 Something more than the men: conveyance of 
 troops, ttinniu.iition, stores, lie. will be requir- 
 ed to letrievi cur losa. Ships will be necessary : 
 how are tliev to he obtained .' Surely, not hy 
 building them on the shore of a lake in the pos- 
 session of a hold, crafty and victorious enemy ' 
 Iris true, we may retain poss<'ssion of the naval 
 dock-yard at Kingston ; but, the conveyance of 
 lUiiterial for ship building 'i that |>ost, would oc- 
 cupy more time than it wuuld t..ke to buil I and 
 equip them on most parts of tlie eunal. There- 
 fore, the locks should be made of the dimensi- 
 ons suggested hy us: for, if ni'ide u(Min the pre- 
 sent narrow, impolitic plan, and mice defeated, 
 our power and our lin(M's, must vanish for ever! 
 It the canal should be executed according to 
 the scule ' ;)w and heretotbre suggcxted by us, it 
 would, (lerhups, forni one of the greiitest and saf- 
 est naval and military arsenals in the -Acrid. — 
 .Secured by inrrow and well. guarded passes, and 
 an impenetralile forest, no enemy could ap- 
 pro.>eh it — the dry and wet-doeks furnished hy 
 it, at a very trilling expense, woM be sulfieient lor 
 the whole British navy; and the ex|)^'n^eof oin- 
 pleting it on this grand (i enlarged scale, would 
 not in or more than an akDitionai. ex|Hn II- 
 tu e >( 15 per cent, o|w>ii I'le sum appropriated 
 for the coin|ilction uf the canal un the snialh'r 
 scale. 
 
 It may appear doubtful, that an additional ex- 
 penditure of 1.") per cent on the sum reipiind for 
 the coniplellou of the ean.il o'l the sinaller se.ile, 
 wo'd h • siiirieieiit to niike it on the larger, lint, 
 when it is un.lerstood. Ihit the width of the 
 smaller canal, liio feet) is sullieiently spacious 
 for the larger; and that 13 or l.'i of the hieks, 
 ire so nearly form d hv chasms in rocks, th.it 
 liut very little filling in, or ex.'.u ilioo is necessa- 
 ry, that doubt, we trust, will be reiinved. 
 
 These nhserv*;ior.s merit the serious atten- 
 tion ol K irl Dalhousie, Sir Peregrine .M.iill ind 
 & Colonel Hv ; for. this canil w II he a iriterion 
 whereby fuluii! genernlions and (uWre udmiiiis- 
 Irations, may d.'eiil' upon \\\>0M^A~nn. We 
 think it imjiossilile that thi'V •30H\^ approve of 
 the c;iual on the sinaller sc*.fle; because it can 
 neither adi to our mliilary nor naval security. 
 Hut, in aftei times, wlieii its delect;, wli he leit 
 the error will he ascribed to them: for no man 
 will believe, that a nation »ll grenl and |H>wer- 
 fiil and liberal, a^tjreat Britain now is, would, 
 without the reconiiiiendation of lliese exalted 
 |iersuiiage«, risk, for a paltry saving, the glory 
 
 of her name, and ih.: serurity aad true interetU 
 of this extirnsivc colony. 
 
 Expedition, which is the life and soul of com- 
 merce, of war and of every undeitaking, and 
 to which Nelson and Wellington sscnhed all 
 their aehievemenis, will be destroyed if tlie ca- 
 nal should be mad.i pursuant to the late order. 
 From Kingston to the Ottawa, (a distance r' 
 193 miles) the cutting and embankment neees- 
 strv Ic complete the canrl, wdl not exceed .)0 
 miles — 103 miles being alrcaiiy farmed hy • 
 chain of navigable lakes and rivers Should the 
 canal be executed on the smaller scale, the boaU 
 employed on it must be rowed the whole dii- 
 taiice, as a towing-ptth, (if one could he farm- 
 ed, which we very Much diubt) wou'd cost ii 
 times as much as the excavttiou and embank'* 
 ment. 
 
 From this statement it Is evident, that til that 
 is required to complete a steam navigation from 
 Lachine to .Vlichdimackinac, is the enl irgem iit 
 of tlie locks on the Hideaii and W Uau I cam's, 
 the benefit of which in foilowing up advantag- 
 es or repairing losses, in time of war, would be 
 incalculable both to our army and nary. 
 
 Tiui/ps, uiiiuuiililuii, siuics, ate. sterling frons 
 Lachine in a steam boat, would arrive at Ki.igs- 
 toii in 50 hours — if the canal be mailefor row-boat 
 navigat'on,as is uow d;'termlnedan,the trip will 
 occupy a wee'a — incase of adverse wind not lest 
 than a fortnight ! ! 
 
 When we hKik to flreat Britain and view the 
 statesmen at the helm of alfairs -gentlemen 
 whose iileas are notchaiiie I down to the fieeting 
 occurrences • f ;;ie paasing-moment; but whose 
 greut and comprehensive minds are occupied in 
 devising and arranging plans fur the benefit of 
 future generations, we think it im|iosmble, that, 
 if they iv-re in possession of all the circumstan- 
 ces of the case, an ohjei tof so much im|>artauee 
 to the government am' the country, as the navi- 
 gation of the Hideau .anal by steam-vess>ds, 
 would be sarriliced on account of a paltry >av- 
 ing of a few thousand pounds. 
 
 We entered so fully into this subject ii preH- 
 niis numbers, in order to point out its advantigea 
 as a coinmereial navigition, and the great rev- 
 enue that must arise from it, that a repilition is 
 unnecessary. Hvery man is convinced oi ita 
 utility and productiveness — all are satisfietjithat 
 tlie revenue of the canal n ill he sulfieient u> li- 
 quidate, within seven years after its completion, 
 the wliole ex|M>nse of making it. 
 iihject, 
 iidi to t 
 lives ; but, when we look hack on their pa'.t 
 conduct, and view the rejectlo;; of bills and 
 measures of vital iin|)ortuiiiu to the happiness 
 and prisperity of the colony, all hn|H' of mak- 
 ing an impression on their Inel I minds vanishes; 
 and, therefore, we fear we shall have to give — 
 Ib'in r»p lo their conslilne.its as incurable! 
 
 .\smany of our readers iimv he unaei|uainted 
 with the line of country through whii i the ca- 
 nal passes, a statement may not he uninterest- 
 ing. From Kin<;stoii to the llideuii a distance 
 ofu.l miles, and 154 feet III inches of an asient,) 
 the laud is of very little \ aim', being coiii|s)>ed 
 of ri'kthe greiter part of the distance. I'rom 
 the su-nniit lev I, at the Kidenu to the: tltlnwu, 
 (a dist.i:ice of ll.'i miles, mid 'JM.'i feet of a de- 
 scent t the laud is of the hrst ipmlitv. The route 
 comprises a lise an I lall of 4 '7 feet, whiih are 
 to he suniMunled hy 'O locks. No canal can 
 furnish a more abundant suppiv of water or linei 
 falls for liydrauliek pnrjioses than this, wliieli 
 Will he Ii tt hv iiihiiiiiil.iio'e Uke.s, ulie i<[ vvliivdi 
 (the Kideau'i is 10 miles long, I'rom 11 to 37 
 miles wide, and from 1- to 4'' feet deep. In- 
 deed the wilier |H)wer of this canal would be 
 sulfieient to prop I the whole of the machiuery 
 ill iireat llritain and Ireland. 
 
 Whilst writing on tills suhject, we would most 
 wiljiuglv ad lre>s a (ew w»,jHtooiir representa-